Long Life Linked to Personality Traits长寿与性格有关

A group of centenarians reported being sociable， positive and strong in the face of adversity. 研究发现，一群百岁老人在逆境中表现出善于交际、积极向上、意志坚强的性格特征。

Certain personality traits may help centenarians reach their advanced age， according to a Spanish study.

西班牙的一项研究表明，某些性格可能有助于百岁老人活至高寿。

Lola Merino at the Complutense University of Madrid and her colleagues interviewed 16 women and three men aged between 100 and 107 years across Spain.

马德里康普顿斯大学的洛拉·梅里诺和她的同事们采访了来自西班牙各地的16名女性和3名男性，受访者的年龄在100岁到107岁之间。

Detailed analysis of the interviews identified 35 positive personality traits in total， eight of which the team considered to be “central” because they were shared by most of the 19 interviewees.

研究团队对每次访谈进行了详细分析，总共发现了35种积极的性格特征，其中8种被认为是“核心”的，因为19名受访者中的大多数人都共有这些特征。

One of these central traits was vitality， defined as being energetic and participating in activities. One 100-year-old woman told the team how she was sewing aged 98 and stays active by forgoing elevators and walking up stairs.

核心的性格特征之一是充满活力，即精力充沛、积极参加各种活动。一位100岁的女性告诉团队，她98岁时还在做针线活儿，现在仍爬楼梯而不乘电梯，来保持活力。

Commitment to various goals was another trait， with one “very determined” 101-year-old woman recalling an incident four years ago when she broke her hip and was walking unaided only a month or so later.

另一个性格特征是执着于各种目标。一位“意志坚定”的101岁老妇人向研究团队回忆起四年前的一次事件，当时她摔伤了胯骨，可是只过了大概一个月，她就开始独自行走了。

The interviewees were also sociable， positive and had intellectual motivation， defined as being curious and enjoying learning. “Even those who were unable to go to school learned to read and write，” says Merino.

还有，所有受访者都善于交际，积极向上，并且有求知欲，好奇好学。“即使是那些曾经无法上学的人也学会了读书和写字。”梅里诺说。

Intelligence， including a good memory and past academic successes， along with being in control and able to make your own decisions， were other shared traits. A 100-year-old woman said： “I’ve always followed my own judgement， even though others told me no， and time has proved me right.”

其他共同特征有富于才智（包括记忆力好和学业有成）、有自控力和能够自行决策。一位100岁的老妇人说：“即使别人反对，我也总是遵循自己的判断，时间证明我是对的。”

Finally， the researchers picked up on the participants’ resilience. A 101-year-old man said： “I was very close to my wife; I was 97 when she died... At first， I was bad off， but then I thought that you have to be strong.”

最后，研究人员注意到，受访者都具有较强的适应能力。一位101岁的老翁说：“我和我的妻子亲密无间，她去世时我已经97岁了……一开始我伤心欲绝，但后来我想通了，自己必须坚强起来。”

The participants were all in good health at the time of the interviews， which may explain why they had certain traits， such as vitality and positivity.

在接受采访时，所有老人都身体健康，这或许可以解释为什么他们具有某些性格特征，譬如充满活力、积极向上。

The study also only included centenarians from Spain， but Sunil Bhar， who directs a well-being clinic for older people in Melbourne， Australia， says he sees many of the same traits.

这项研究的受访者也只是来自西班牙的百岁老人，但澳大利亚墨尔本一家老年人健康诊所的负责人苏尼尔·巴尔表示，他也发现了许多与此相同的性格特征。

In particular， strong relationships and a “can-do attitude” appear to be important， probably by helping ward off depression， he says. Depression has been linked to a compromised immune system and even dementia， says Bhar.

巴尔说，牢固的人际关系和“积极进取的态度”似乎格外重要，可能有助于预防抑郁症。巴尔还说，抑郁症与免疫系统受损甚至痴呆有关。

For people who lack these personality traits， there are ways to build them up， says Merino. “You can practice gratitude by becoming aware of all the good things in your life and in the case of control， you can establish order and habits so everyday demands do not overwhelm you，” she says.

梅里诺说，对于缺乏这些性格特征的人来说，有一些方法可以让他们培养这些特质。“你可以通过感知生活中所有美好的事物来练习感恩。就自我掌控感而言，你可以养成习惯，让生活有条不紊，这样就不会被日常的重负压倒。”她说。